Method for producing a cellulose fibre from hydrocellulose

ABSTRACT

The invention described here concerns a process to permit the manufacture of a cellulose fibre from hydrate cellulose with an extremely large surface area which may be used for the preparation of a fabric characterized by a high absorptive power, good liquid-retention properties, high grease-solvent properties as well as particle-absorbing properties, which is suitable for making products that are themselves easy to clean, which can be used for cleaning and decontamination as well as to reduce the surface tension of water and which can be disposed of without damage to the environment.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention described here concerns a process to manufacture acellulose fibre from hydrate cellulose, a cellulose fibre obtainable bythis process, as well as a fabric which contains these cellulose fibresand the use of this fabric.

BACKGROUND ART

Absorbent fibrous materials which can also be applied for cleaningpurposes are already known. Examples are cross-linked carboxy methylcellulose (CMC), which can be manufactured in accordance with theprocess described in CH-A-491140, or viscose fibres, which containhydrophilic polymer substances such as polyacrylic acid (BE-A-2324589),poly-N-vinyl pyrrolidone or CMC (DE-A-25 50 345), alginic acid (DE-A-2750 622) or other copolymers (DE-A-27 50 900). Besides their highabsorptive power, these fibres have good water-retention properties. Themanufacture of these fibres, however, is associated with a high degreeof technical complexity, and some of these fibres contain substanceswhich either do not biodegrade at all or only with difficulty, so thatnatural disposal (e.g. composting) of the fibres subsequent to their usenot possible.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a process to permit themanufacture of a cellulose fibre from hydrate cellulose with anextremely large surface area and which biodegrades easily. Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a fabric made from these fibreswhich is characterised by a high absorptive power, good water-retentionproperties, high grease-solvent properties as well as particle-absorbingproperties, which is suitable for making products that are themselveseasy to clean, which can be used for cleaning and decontamination aswell as to reduce the surface tension of water and which can be disposedof without damage to the environment.

The above-described objects are solved by the invention-design processto manufacture a cellulose fibre from hydrate cellulose which comprisesthe following steps:

a) Treatment of wood pulp derived from shoots no older than 1 year ofdeciduous trees or conifers with an alkali metal hydroxide solution inorder to obtain an alkali cellulose;

b) pressing out of the superfluous alkali metal hydroxide solution fromthe obtained alkali cellulose;

c) shredding of the alkali cellulose into crumbs;

d) ripening of the alkali cellulose crumbs to a maturity of between 5°and 30° Hottenroth;

e) application of the wet sulphide process to treat the ripened crumbsin order to sulphidise the cellulose;

f) rinsing and diluting of the sulphidised cellulose with water in orderto obtain a spinning solution;

g) subsequent ripening of the rinsed and diluted cellulose to a maturityof between 5° and 30° Hottenroth;

h) filtering and downstream deaeration of the spinning solution;

i) injection of the spinning solution into a regenerating bath underapplication of spinnerets;

j) stripping off the coagulating fibres with simultaneous twisting inorder to obtain twisted fibres;

k) dehydrating of the twisted fibres;

l) desulphurisation of the twisted fibres;

m) washing of the twisted fibres with water;

n) predehydrating of the twisted fibres; and

o) drying of the twisted fibres;

and by a fabric comprising a backing fabric and a pile woven into thebacking fabric containing these fibres.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 to 6 show the microstructure of the invention-design fibres.

FIGS. 7 to 15 show the macrostructure of the invention-design fibres.

FIG. 16 shows an example of the invention-design fabric.

FIGS. 17 to 20 show electron micrographs of bacteria which are adsorbedon the lamellae of the invention-design fibres.

FIG. 21 shows a device to obtain water with a reduced surface tension.

FIG. 22 shows a tensiometer to measure the surface tension.

FIGS. 23 to 28 show the surface tension-reducing effect ofinvention-design fabrics as a function of rinsing the fabric.

FIG. 29 shows the history of the surface tension in the case of fabricswhich remain in the water.

FIG. 30 shows the surface tension-reducing effect of theinvention-design fabric before and after a drying phase.

FIG. 31 shows an experimental set-up to measure the water-absorbingcapacity of the invention-design fabric.

FIG. 32 shows a model to permit calculation of the specific surface areaof the invention-design fabric.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention-design process permits the manufacture of a biodegradablecellulose fibre from hydrate cellulose (C₆H₁₀O₅)_(n), whosemicrostructure displays fibre-parallel lamellae. The preferred lamellaspacing lies in the range between 1 nm and 5 μm, whereas the rangebetween 200 nm and 1 μm is ideal. Another particularly good range isbetween 1 and 20 nm. As a result of this microstructure, the fibre hasan extremely large surface area. In a preferred design, theinvention-design fibre is birefractive. The microstructure and themacrostructure of the invention-design fibres were determined by meansof the processes described below.

The microstructure of various invention-design fibres which weredesignated L1, L2, and S2 in the tests is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. Thepurpose of the tests was to analyse the fibres as complete fibres withrespect to the surface structure using a scanning electron microscope.The macrostructure of the fibres, shown in FIGS. 7 to 15, was analysedas a microtome section. The microtome sections were prepared byembedding the fibres in PMMA, cutting them and then extracting them fromthe embedding medium. The exposure of the fibres to high temperatureswas thereby kept as low as possible.

FIGS. 1 to 6 show the resultant microstructures viewed from above. Allinvention-design fibres have a fibre-parallel lamellar structure.However, these figures are not able to give any indication of thecross-sectional structure (macrostructure). It is the microtome sectionswhich show the cross-sectional structures, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 15.Fibre L1 was prepared using an oval spinneret, whereas an extendedslit-shaped spinneret was used to prepare fibres L2 and S2. Thequalitative results of the tests are summarised in the following table(Table 1).

TABLE 1 Fibre type L1 L2 S2 Cross-sectional globular, lamellar,lamellar, fissured form strongly fissured (macrostructure) fissuredSpec. surface area extremely large medium large (qualitative) Positionof surface on all sides on all mainly on one side, structure (incisions)sides i.e. on the inside after curling Max. fibre width approx. 35approx. 80 approx. 200 [μm] Curling effect after not detectable low highcutting (indication of internal stress)

Wood pulp derived from shoots no older than 1 year of deciduous trees orconifers was used to prepare the invention-design fibre. It isparticularly easy to remove the lignin from such a base material.Ideally, wood pulp derived from shoots no older than 1 year of falseacacia trees, teak trees, bongassi trees or bamboo is used, althoughwood pulp derived from shoots no older than 1 year of comparableEuropean trees can also be used. The lignin content of theless-than-one-year-old shoots used should be as low as possible and ispreferably no more than 7%. In a particularly preferred inventiondesign, the lignin content of the base material is no more than 5%, andideal is no more than 2%.

This wood pulp is treated with an alkali metal hydroxide solution,preferably at a temperature of between 15 and 25° C., in order to obtainan alkali cellulose. It is preferable to use a sodium hydroxide solutionwhich contains between 150 and 350 g/l of sodium hydroxide as the alkalimetal hydroxide solution. A sodium hydroxide content of approx. 300 g/lis particularly favourable.

The superfluous alkali metal hydroxide solution is then pressed out ofthe resultant alkali cellulose, e.g. under application of a submersiblepress.

The alkali cellulose is then shredded into crumbs, whereby shredding caninclude a coarse comminution step (e.g. in a pre-shredder) and a finecomminution step (e.g. in a disc mill).

The crumbs are then fed, for example, to a maturing drum and ripened toa maturity of between 50° and 30° Hottenroth, preferred is a maturity ofbetween 8° and 12° Hottenroth, and a maturity of approx. 10° Hottenrothis ideal. The preferred temperature during the ripening process isbetween 60 and 80° C., particularly favourable is a temperature ofbetween 65 and 75° C., and approx. 72° C. is absolutely ideal. Theripening process can then be slowed down by reducing the temperature tobetween 40 and 50° C., or preferably to approx. 45° C.

The ripened crumbs are subsequently treated under application of theconventional wet sulphide process in order to sulphidise the cellulose.The wet sulphide process is preferably carried out in a solutioncontaining carbon disulphide, sodium hydroxide and BEROL®, a surfactant.The preferred carbon disulphide content of the solution is between 150and 250 g/l, particularly favourable is between 180 and 210 g/l, and thepreferred content of sodium hydroxide is between 250 and 350 g/l,particularly favourable is between 280 and 320 g/l, and the preferredcontent of BEROL is between 100 and 200 g/l, particularly favourable isapprox. 150 g/l. The most preferable type of BEROL® surfactant used forthis process step is one of the commercially available products fromBerol-Kemie Ltd., 44401 Stennungsund, Sweden.

After sulphidisation, the sulphidised cellulose is rinsed and thendiluted with water to produce a spinning solution. The cellulose is thensubsequently ripened to a maturity of between 5° and 30° Hottenroth,whereby a maturity of between 8° and 12° Hottenroth is preferred. Thedegree of ripeness achieved during initial ripening is diminished by thesulphidisation process and by rinsing and diluting the sulphidisedcellulose, and it is not until a subsequent ripening process is carriedout that the desired degree of ripeness is finally achieved. Inpractical operation, it is not always easy to control the degree ofripeness with great accuracy. In this case, two or more batches ofspinning solutions can be mixed in order to achieve the desired degreeof ripeness.

The downstream filtration of the spinning solution may be carried outunder application of filter presses. The spinning solution is thendeaerated.

The deaerated spinning solution is introduced by means of spinneretsinto a regenerating bath, preferably at a temperature of between 35 and45° C., and ideally at a temperature of approx. 40° C. A suitableregenerating bath contains between 70 and 160 g/l of sulphuric acid,preferred is between 90 and 140 g/l, and approx. 120 g/l is ideal, plusbetween 0.3 and 4 g/l of zinc sulphate, preferred is between 0.5 and 2g/l, and approx. 1 g/l is ideal, plus between 0.05 and 1 g/l of BEROL®,a surfactant, preferred is between 0.1 and 0.7 g/l, and approx. 0.4 g/lis ideal. The most preferable type of BEROL® surfactant used for thisprocess step is one of the commercially available products fromBerol-Kemie Ltd., 44401 Stennungsund, Sweden. The spinnerets used can beoval to long-slit-shaped, and are heated to keep them within a preferredtemperature range of 55-75° C., particularly favourable is between 65and 70° C., and approx. 67° C. is absolutely ideal.

The fibres are stripped off as they coagulate and simultaneously twistedin order to obtain twisted fibres, which are then dehydrated. Asulphuric acid solution, for example, can be used for dehydrating,whereby a content of ≦15 g/l of sulphuric acid is preferred and ≦10 g/lis ideal.

Desulphurisation of the twisted fibres is generally carried out in asodium sulphate solution, which preferably contains between 2 and 5 g/lof sodium sulphate and ideally approx. 3 g/l. Other desulphurisationprocesses are also possible. The fibres are then washed with water.

After washing, the fibres can be further treated, for example in orderto modify the optical properties of the fibres. Titanium dioxide, forexample, can be used to give the fibres a dull finish.

The fibres are then predehydrated and dried, whereby if the lamellarstructure of the fibres is to remain intact, as little mechanical stressas possible must be applied to the fibres during predehydrating.Predehydrating can take place under application of compressed air, forexample, and drying under application of tunnel dryers, for example,although other suitable processes and equipment known to the specialistcan also be employed.

Under application of the invention-design process, a fibre is yieldedwhich contains practically no more lignin and which is substantiallyfree from sulphuric acid and carbon disulphide. Because of its lamellarmicrostructure, this fibre has an extremely large surface area. It isimpossible to obtain such a large surface area with conventional fibresmade from sulphite cellulose, because the sulphite pulping process leadsto destruction of the lamellar structure.

The fibre produced in this manner has a preferred count of 330 dtex ormore.

The fibre produced as described above can be used to manufacture afabric which is characterised by a high absorptive capacity, goodliquid-retention properties, high grease-solvent properties as well asparticle-absorbing properties.

The invention-design fabric comprises a backing fabric and a pile woveninto the backing fabric which contains the fibres manufactured in themanner described above.

The backing fabric preferably has a lattice-like structure. The backingfabric and pile can consist of the same type of fibre, although this isnot essential. Durability criteria can make it necessary to use strongerbacking fabric fibres, for example. The backing fabric preferablycontains some viscose staple fibres; a backing fabric which consistsexclusively of such fibres is ideal.

In a preferred invention design, the pile forms a fibre bed of approx.0.5 cm in height above the backing fabric. The pile should preferablycontain oval or tape fibres or a mixture of the two. A fabric whose pilecontains a lot of oval fibres but only a small amount of tape fibres hasespecially high grease-adsorptive properties. A fabric whose pilecontains a small amount of oval fibres but a lot of tape fibres isparticularly suitable for reducing the surface tension of water.

In another preferred invention design, the pile consists of 50% oval and50% tape fibres. And in a particularly preferred invention design, thepile consists of 50% of oval fibres with a count of 330 dtex F60 and 50%of tape fibres with a count of 330 dtex F80. Such a fabric is shown inFIG. 16.

The invention-design fabric is characterised especially by the followingproperties:

it can bind bacteria and particles of dirt reversibly and can then becleaned without the use of chemicals;

it has an extremely large specific surface area;

it has high specific fluid-retention properties; and

it can be disposed of with minimum environmental impact.

The above-described properties give rise to a wide range of applicationsfor the invention-design fabric.

Because the invention-design fabric is pH neutral, it can, for example,be used to manufacture personal hygiene articles which are kind to theskin, e.g. sanitary pads, as well as wash cloths to clean the body andskin, and especially to clean mucous membrane (stoma cleaning), and alsoto clean the skin if skin infections and neurodermatitis are a problemor as a wash cloth on the sector of personal hygiene for the aged andinfirm. When using the fabric as a wash cloth, the skin surface can becleaned of water-soluble and greasy cosmetics in an allergy-free andpH-neutral manner without the need of special cleansing agents. Thefabric itself can then be cleaned of bacteria and cosmetics by simplemechanical cleaning (rinsing and wringing out) in cold water. Thisaspect gains particular significance if the skin is sensitive ordamaged, e.g. as is the case with neurodermatitis or acne. Use of theinvention-design fabric with nothing else bar water eliminates thepossibility of additional skin irritation or damage. Germs, for example,can thus be removed from the skin more gently than with detergentsurfactants or disinfectants.

The invention-design fabric can also be used as an udder cloth to cleanand decontaminate cow's udders before connection to a milking machine.This rules out the possibility of germs being introduced into the milk.

On the other hand, the invention-design fabric can also be used tomanufacture products which are themselves easy to clean, e.g. textilesand fabric for clothing; such products can then be cleaned without theneed for any chemicals even if strongly soiled by foodstuff residues,etc. Examples of such products are bed linen, table linen, work clothesor baby articles (e.g. nappies, bibs and wash cloths), upholsterycoverings for furniture or car seats as well as covering fabrics forstuffed toys. Stains left by ketchup, juice, red wine, lipstick orblood, to name just a few examples, can be removed from these productswithout residue by simple rinsing in cold water. Products such asnappies, wash cloths or bibs can also be washed residue-free without theneed for washing detergents at temperatures of up to 40° C. It is alsopossible to wash the products in a washing machine either on a coldcycle or one up to 40° C. without the need for any washing detergents.The products can then be simply hung up to dry or can be dried in adryer (up to 40° C.).

Another application for the invention-design fabric is the employment asa floor covering for special-purpose rooms (e.g. humid rooms) orhygienically sensitive rooms.

The invention-design fabric can also be used as a condensation catalystto condense steam or humidity, e.g. as a “roof panel” for shower or bathcabins or humid rooms. The moisture is absorbed by the covering andthen—during the course of a slow drying process—is released into theatmosphere again in a retarded manner. This prevents the rapidcondensation of steam or moisture on the room walls, even if the room inquestion is badly ventilated (e.g. as in old buildings). The coveringmade from the invention-design fabric remains free from fungi, bacteriaand algae.

Another possible application for the invention-design fabric is the useas a particle filter, e.g. to remove particles or micro-organisms fromorganic and inorganic fluids. To this end, the fabric can be layered inparallel layers, for example, or rolled.

The biophysical properties of the invention-design fabric are a resultof the lamellar microstructure of the fibres on the one hand, and of theconfiguration of the fibres on the surface of the fabric on the otherhand.

The following is a description of the employment of the invention-designfabric for cleaning and decontamination. This application permitsorganic surfaces (e.g. skin) or inorganic surfaces (e.g. objects, floorsand windows) to be cleaned and the bacteria present on these surfaces tobe removed without the need for disinfectants, meaning that the surfacesbeing cleaned are subject to neither chemical nor thermal stress. Incontrast to conventional decontamination with disinfectants,decontamination with the invention-design fabric achieves the same orbetter germicidal effects without any selective processes caused byresistance to chemical attack occurring.

The invention-design fabric is wetted with water so that a certainresidual moisture content (e.g. approx. 20%) remains. At this degree ofresidual moisture, the surface to be decontaminated can be mechanicallydecontaminated, whereby the ability of the fabric to reduce the surfacetension of water leads to an improved lipid solubility. With a fabricmeasuring approx. 600 cm² in surface area, a highly contaminated surfaceof 1 m² can be cleaned optimally. The fabric itself is subsequentlydecontaminated by being steeped in water and moved to and fromechanically. This type of cleaning serves to completely decontaminatethe fabric, whereby every single contaminated particle is released intothe water. The fabric itself remains biologically and chemically inertduring this process. In the case of a surface to be cleaned of approx.30 m², a contamination saturation of the cleaning water is reached atabout 10 liters of water, although this is dependent on the degree ofcontamination of the surface. The adsorptive effect which exists whenthe fabric contains approx. 20% residual moisture is preserved forfuture cleaning procedures provided that no impermissible chemical,mechanical or thermal stresses destroy the fibre structure. The optimumtemperature range for use of the fabric lies between 5 and 30° C. Theadsorptive effect is destroyed as soon as the temperature exceeds 60° C.Intensive contact (impregnation) with detergents destroys the functionof the fabric because it damages the surface structure. Contact with 0.1standard acids or alkaline solutions or with alcoholic solutionspresents no problem.

FIGS. 17 to 20 show electron micrographs (magnified 2,000, 5,000, 20,000and 30,000 times) of bacteria (here: staphylococci) which are adsorbedon the lamellae of the invention-design fibres.

Surprisingly, it turned out that the invention-design fabric was alsocapable of reducing the surface tension of water by as much as 20% ormore without the use of any chemicals. Water of this nature with areduced surface tension can be used for extraction processes orsynthesis as well as for fermentation processes—for example in brewingoperations.

To achieve a reduction of the surface tension, the water is brought intocontact with the invention-design fabric. The effect manifests itselfwithin a short time, is practically independent of the water temperatureand lasts for about two hours.

FIG. 21 shows a device to obtain water with a reduced surface tension.The device comprises, e.g. a vessel filled with water which is equippedwith an overflow and an outflow. Several invention-design fabrics can beput into the vessel simultaneously.

The following examples and the figures illustrate the invention.

EXAMPLE 1

Fabric for Cleaning Contaminated Surfaces

Test-rig Configuration

1.1 Tested Bacterial Strains

E. coli

Staphylococcus aureus

Streptococcus pyogenes

Enterococci (S. faecium)

Streptococcus bovis

Pseudomonas pyocyanea

1.2 Cultures

Cultures prepared by means of incubation in nutrient broth or litmusmilk (mixture of litmus and milk) or in nutrient agar at between 25 and30° C. until the bacterial count reaches >10⁶ bacteria/ml. The number ofbacteria was determined (corresponds to the primary bacterialcount=100%).

1.3 Test Procedure

The fabric was immersed in the above-described medium with a bacterialconcentration >10⁶ bacteria/ml for a period of 15 minutes. The fabricwas then placed (not rinsed) in lukewarm water (10-20° C.) for between 1and 3 minutes. It was then removed from the water and put into a sterilenutrient solution, which was then incubated. The bacterial concentrationin the nutrient solution was determined after a period of between 24 and72 hours. The measured values were related to the primary bacterialcount, whereby the following results were achieved:

I II III E. coli 15% 12%  9% Staph. aureus 18% 16% 16% Strept. pyogenes 5%  6%  4% Enterococci  7%  5%  8% Strept. bovis 17% 12% 14% Pseudom. 6%  4%  3% pyogenes

Subsequent to re-incubation, the measured bacterialdensities/concentrations of all bacterial strains reduced markedly.

EXAMPLE 2

Germicidal Properties of the Invention-design Fabric Used to Clean theUdders of Dairy Cows

The tests were carried out on 5 cows each in 3 dairy farms during 10milking periods. One half of the cows' udders was cleaned with the cloththe farm normally used and then soaked in disinfectant, whereas theother half was cleaned with the invention-design fabric. The udderhalves were changed at every milking time. After cleaning, theinvention-design fabric was placed in water with no detergents ordisinfectants. The comparison cloths were also placed in water, wherebyon one farm, a disinfectant was added to the water. Before and after theudder cleaning, an impression culture was prepared on ass, agar(antibiotic sulphonamide sensitivity agar) from each cloth and wasincubated for 18 hours at between 38 and 40° C.

Results

In differentiating the bacteria by means of selective cultures, it waspredominantly the following bacteria which were found:

E. coli

Streptococci

Staphylococci

Enterococci

Assuming the primary bacterial count to be 100%, we arrived at thefollowing values:

Invention- design Farm's own cleaning cloth fabric without disinfectantwith disinfectant E. coli 10%  92% 35% Streptococci 3% 87% 25%Staphylococci 2% 78% 20% Enterococci 9% 83% 41%

The statistical evaluation of the results clearly shows the germicidalproperty of the invention-design fabric. In other words, the risk oftransferring germs from one cow to another during milking issignificantly reduced with the invention-design fabric.

EXAMPLE 3

Cleaning a Contaminated Invention-design Fabric—Comparison with aConventional Cotton Fabric

The invention-design fabric was cut into squares measuring 6×6 cm whichwere then used to wipe contaminated surfaces. The comparison fabric—acotton fabric which had been washed several times—was also cut intopieces of about the same weight (see Tables 2-6). The test surfacesconsisted of glazed ceramic tiles (5×5 cm) which had been inoculatedwith one of the test bacterial strains, i.e. either Enterococcusfaecium, Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. The tiles were eachinoculated with 50 μl of an overnight culture of the test bacteria, sothat the number of bacteria to be recovered from the tiles was between3.4×10⁵ and 8.9×10⁶. The contamination degree of the test surfaces wascontrolled in two ways: the bacterial count was determined in theinoculation suspension; and the inoculated surfaces were rinsed, driedand then analysed. Drying took place by means of a 20-minute exposure atapprox. 25° C. in a laminar flow workbench. The surfaces were then wipedwith the test fabrics and the bacterial count on the tiles wasdetermined by rinsing the tiles in 100 ml of sterile, distilled waterand by distributing some of the rinsing solution on nutrient agar slideswith a spatula. The number of bacteria taken up from the tiles into thetest fabrics was also determined by rinsing at room temperature in 200ml of distilled water, this process being assisted mechanically bymanually wringing the fabrics out, and the rinsing solution was theninoculated onto nutrient agar slides. The number of bacteria remainingin the test fabrics after rinsing was determined by means of a secondrinse, and in the last test series by means of a third rinse. Thefollowing tables therefore show the bacterial counts of the followingsuspensions:

Overnight culture (inoculation suspension)

Rinsing water used to rinse the inoculated surface

Rinsing water used to wipe the surface

Rinsing water from the fabric after wiping the tiles

Rinsing water from the fabric after the first rinse

Rinsing water from the fabric after the second rinse

The test results are summarised in the following tables. Table 2: E.coli ATCC 11229; Table 3: Enterococcus faecium; Table 4: Enterococcusfaecium; Table 5: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538; and Table 6: testswith all three test bacteria. The test parameters applied for Tables 2to 5 were more or less identical. The difference between Tables 3 and 4(both with Enterococcus faecium) is the lower localised propagation onthe inoculated surfaces. In Table 6, both the test fabric and thecontrol fabric were rinsed once again to determine whether this made anydifference to the bacterial count in the fabric over that of a fabricwhich had been rinsed only once.

TABLE 2 Bacteria: E. coli ATCC 11229 Inoculation with overnight cultureKBE/50 μl I II III E. coli 2.6 × 10⁶ on tile E. coli 1.4 × 10⁷ on tileE. coli 3.0 × 10⁷ on tile Invention- Invention- Invention- design designdesign Measured bacterial count fabric Cotton fabric Cotton fabricCotton on inoculated surface 5.6 × 10⁵ 5.6 × 10⁵ 3.7 × 10⁵ 3.7 × 10⁵ 3.4× 10⁵ 3.4 × 10⁵ in fabric after wiping surface 4.8 × 10⁵ 4.0 × 10⁵ 3.8 ×10⁵ 3.0 × 10⁵ 5.8 × 10⁵ 1.8 × 10⁵ in fabric after rinsing 7.0 × 10³ 6.0× 10³ 3.0 × 10³ 6.0 × 10³ 5.0 × 10³ 4.0 × 10³ on tile after wiping 1.2 ×10⁴ 2.3 × 10⁴ 0.0 6.5 × 10³ 3.6 × 10⁴ 6.0 × 10³ weight 6 × 6 cm in g1.941 1.998 0.875 2.106 1.951

TABLE 3 Bacteria: Enterococcus faecium Inoculation with overnightculture KBE/50 μl I II 2.0 × 10⁷ on tile 2.1 × 10⁷ on tile Invention-Invention- Invention- design design design Measured bacterial countfabric Cotton fabric fabric Cotton on inoculated surface 4.8 × 10⁵ 4.8 ×10⁵ 6.0 × 10⁵ 6.0 × 10⁵ 6.0 × 10⁵ in fabric after wiping surface 3.6 ×10⁵ 3.2 × 10⁵ 5.0 × 10⁵ 4.0 × 10⁵ 1.8 × 10⁵ in fabric after rinsing 2.0× 10³ 5.0 × 10³ 4.0 × 10³ 3.0 × 10³ 2.0 × 10³ on tile after wiping 3.0 ×10³ 1.0 × 10⁴ 5.0 × 10³ 4.0 × 10³ 3.0 × 10³ Weight 6 × 6 cm in g 1.6791.017 1.852 1.784 0.950 Initial germination of cloth 1.0 × 10³ 3.0 × 10³3.0 × 10³

TABLE 4 Bacteria: Enterococcus faecium Inoculation with overnightculture KBE/50 μl III IV 1.8 × 10⁷ on tile 3.0 × 10⁷ on tile Invention-Invention- Invention- design design design Measured bacterial countfabric fabric Cotton fabric Cotton on inoculated surface 8.9 × 10⁶ 4.9 ×10⁵ 8.9 × 10⁶ 6.7 × 10⁵ 6.7 × 10⁵ in fabric after wiping surface 6.2 ×10⁶ 2.6 × 10⁵ 4.8 × 10⁵ 6.0 × 10⁵ 4.6 × 10⁵ in fabric after rinsing 7.9× 10⁴ 5.0 × 10³ 3.6 × 10⁴ 2.0 × 10³ 6.0 × 10³ on tile after wiping 7.1 ×10⁴ 5.0 × 10³ 5.6 × 10⁴ 7.5 × 10³ 5.5 × 10³ Weight 6 × 6 cm in g 1.9481.765 0.775 2.059 1.968 Initial germination of cloth 2.0 × 10³ 4.0 × 10³

TABLE 5 Bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 Inoculation withovernight culture KBE/50 μl I II III Staph. aureus 7.5 × 10⁷ on tileStaph. aureus 4.0 × 10⁷ on tile Staph. aureus 6.0 × 10⁷ on tileInvention- Invention- Invention- design design design Measured bacterialcount fabric Cotton fabric Cotton fabric Cotton on inoculated surface4.8 × 10⁶ 4.8 × 10⁶ 2.3 × 10⁶ 2.3 × 10⁶ 7.0 × 10⁶ 7.0 × 10⁶ in fabricafter wiping surface 4.6 × 10⁶ 1.1 × 10⁶ 1.6 × 10⁶ 1.0 × 10⁵ 7.0 × 10⁶5.0 × 10⁶ in fabric after rinsing 6.6 × 10⁴ 5.0 × 10² 1.6 × 10⁴ 0.0 9.0× 10⁴ 1.3 × 10⁵ on tile after wiping 1.9 × 10⁵ 6.0 × 10⁴ 6.4 × 10⁴ 1.4 ×10⁴ 7.4 × 10⁴ 7.5 × 10⁴ Weight 6 × 6 cm in g 1.987 1.855 0.960 1.9391.937

TABLE 6 Inoculation with overnight culture KBE/50 μl E. faecium 3.9 ×10⁷ on tile E. coli 3.8 × 10⁷ on tile Staph. aureus 6.0 × 10⁷ on tileInvention- Invention- Invention- design design design Measured bacterialcount fabric Cotton fabric Cotton fabric Cotton on inoculated surface1.0 × 10⁶ 1.0 × 10⁶ 3.8 × 10⁵ 3.8 × 10⁵ 6.8 × 10⁶ 6.8 × 10⁶ in fabricafter wiping surface 4.6 × 10⁵ 5.0 × 10⁵ 3.8 × 10⁵ 4.4 × 10⁵ 5.0 × 10⁶2.6 × 10⁶ in fabric after rinsing once 8.0 × 10³ 1.0 × 10⁴ 7.2 × 10³ 8.8× 10³ 4.6 × 10⁴ 1.4 × 10⁵ on tile after wiping 6.0 × 10² 3.3 × 10³ 1.5 ×10³ 5.2 × 10³ 7.8 × 10⁴ 1.0 × 10⁵ in fabric after rinsing twice 6.0 ×10¹ 8.4 × 10² 2.0 × 10² 6.8 × 10² 6.0 × 10² 4.4 × 10³ Weight 6 × 6 cm ing 1.933 2.0 2.034 2.0 2.015 2.0

The quantitative evaluation of the test results shows that the tiles arecleaned to more or less the same degree by both the invention-designfabric and the cotton fabric. Although there are only signs that theinvention-design fabric has a better cleaning effect, a distinctdifference can be seen in the measured bacterial count in the fabricsafter use. At this point, a greater number of the micro-organisms remainin the invention-design fabric than in the cotton fabric. After thefirst rinse, the bacterial counts in both fabrics are more or less thesame, but after the second rinse (Table 6), the bacterial count in theinvention-design fabric is below that of the cotton fabric in all threeanalyses.

The results show that the invention-design fabric can be freed of theabsorbed bacteria by simple rinsing in pure water better than theconventional cotton fabric, and that it is superior to the cotton fabricwhen it comes to cleaning the surfaces. The invention-design fabric istherefore especially suitable for cleaning surfaces and for otherapplications where a reversible absorption of bacteria is required.

EXAMPLE 4

Preparation of Water with a Reduced Surface Tension

To demonstrate the preparation of water with a reduced surface tension,fresh tap water with a hardness degree of between 5 and 25 and anymixture of ions is preferred; the process can be carried out within apreferred temperature range of between 5 and 30° C., or ideally between15 and 25° C., and leads to water with a distinctly reduced surfacetension. It is preferable to use a container with a completely smoothsurface, e.g. of glass, metal, enamel or ceramic, in which the water canmake contact with the invention-design fabric.

The invention-design fibre should preferably be woven into adouble-sided fabric with a bed of fibres on each side which are 0.5 cmin length. Assuming this and the fact that the cloths are spaced inwater at uniform intervals, a surface area of 1 m² of fabric withdouble-sided pile for 0.16 m³ of water at a residence time of between 5and 10 seconds is required for an optimal degree of surface-tensionreduction. The water vessel used can be any shape. The fabric can beclamped in place in a basin or if preferred, suitable mechanical meanscan be employed to dip the fabric into a basin. After the fabric isremoved from the vessel or the water is removed from the vessel, thewater retains its reduced surface tension at temperatures of up to 40°C. for at least 60 minutes, whereas the surface tension gradually risesagain to normal values (72 to 78 mN/m) after 120 minutes. During thistime, the water can be integrated into synthesis, extraction orfermentation processes, both with or without fibre contact. Whereby itis also possible, for example, to introduce the water at allfermentation stages—even at temperatures of above 40° C.—in order toimprove and accelerate the fermentation processes during brewing.

In the same way, it is also possible after the mash has cooled andbefore the yeast has been added to reduce the surface tension by meansof the dipping method in order to achieve better brewing results.

EXAMPLE 4.1

In this example, 3 invention-design fabric samples “S10”, “L01”, and“L02” were investigated, samples which differ in terms of their surfacestructure quality.

The measurements were made in glass vessels, whereby an effectivesurface area of the fabric samples measuring 400 cm² was analysed in 4liters of water. The temperature during the tests was around 20° C.

The measurements were carried out

1. without previous rinsing

2. after three rinses

3. after six rinses

4. after nine rinses

of the respective fabric sample.

The comparison measurements were carried out in bidistilled water and infresh water taken from the tap.

The surface tension was measured with the tensiometer shown in FIG. 22.

Test Description

A 5-liter vessel of Duran glass is filled with 4 liters of fresh tapwater of 20° C., and a sample of this water is extracted to measure thesurface tension. The test fabric is then immersed in the water, kneadeda few times and then removed after being wrung out. Several samples aretaken of the water remaining in the glass vessel, and the surfacetension is measured. In the same way as described above, the fabric isnow rinsed twice without subsequent measurement in two lots of freshwater measuring 4 liters each. The entire process is repeated threetimes.

The surface tension is measured as follows: The water sample is filledinto the sample dish of the tensiometer and the dish is then placed onthe lifting table and raised until the platinum ring immerses in thesample. The servomotor is then activated which lowers the water sampleon the table, whereby a water leaf at the ring is extracted. The motorstops at maximum stress as soon as the surface film starts to give andthere is no more tensile load acting on the balance from which the ringis suspended. The maximum value can be read off the digital display.

One-sided Fabric

First of all, the effect of one-sided fabric samples of 400 cm² in sizeis investigated. To this end, each fabric sample is placed in 4 litersof fresh water of 20° C. and removed after being stirred several timesin the water. This takes place initially with unrinsed fabrics. A sampleis then extracted and the surface tension measured.

The fabric is then rinsed three times and the test repeated. The test isalso repeated after each fabric has been rinsed six times and ninetimes.

FIGS. 23 to 25 show the surface tension values measured after zero,three, six and nine rinses plotted against those of bidistilled waterand fresh water. In the case of all rinses, a high introduction of airinto the test water was observed, as well as “fuzzing”, which caused themeasured values to fluctuate. Because of this, several measurements weremade and the arithmetic mean shown in each case.

In the case of FIGS. 23 to 25, the same statement in broad terms can bemade: Immersing the respective fabric in the test water reduces thesurface tension by 30-40%, from approx. 71 mN/m to 40-50 mN/m. Thesurface tension-reducing effect of the respective fabric decreases inproportion to the number of times the fabric is rinsed.

Double-sided Fabric

In comparison to the single-sided fabrics, the double-sided fabricsdisplay more than double the mass at the same surface area of 400 cm².The measured values of each fabric are shown in Table 7.

TABLE 7 Mass of tested fabric Type One-sided Double-sided L01 16.10 g38.87 g L02 16.69 g 38.44 g S10 15.53 g 41.31 g

The surface tension-reducing effect of the double-sided fabric as afunction of the number of rinses is shown in FIGS. 26 to 28.

The double-sided fabrics L01 and S10 reduce the surface tension of thesample from around 72 mN/m to 60-62 mN/m. This corresponds to areduction of 14-17%. This effect is independent of the number of rinsesand remains on the same level even after 9 rinses.

Initially, the double-sided fabric L02 succeeds in reducing the surfacetension by 42%, from 72 mN/m to 42 mN/m. However, the surfacetension-reducing effect decreases as the number of rinses increases, andfinal measurement after 9 rinses showed a value of 70.4 mN/m.

Surface tension when fabrics remain in the water:

In this test, the respective fabrics were not removed from the waterbefore measuring the surface tension. Several measurements were made oneafter the other in rapid succession. FIG. 29 shows the surface tensiongradient of fabrics L01, L02, and S10 as a function of the time. Aconstant value did not set in until after about 10 minutes. The watertemperature was a constant 20° C.

Whereas the value of the water with the fabrics L01 and L02 set in atbetween 69 and 68 mN/m, the water with the fabric S10 displays adistinctly lower final value of 62 mN/m.

In summarising, we can state that:

The first contact of the invention-design fabric with water succeeded inreducing the surface tension of fresh water by up to 40%, from approx.72 mN/m to values around 40 mN/m. This effect, however, diminishes inthe case of the one-sided fabrics in proportion to the number of rinses,as the repeated tests showed. In the case of the double-sided fabricsL01 and S10, these fabrics were each still able to reduce the surfacetension of fresh water by 14-17% even after being rinsed nine times. Aconstant value set in here which differed only negligibly from thevalues measured after 3 and 6 rinses.

The double-sided fabric L02 behaved in an analogous way to the one-sidedfabrics, where the surface tension-reducing effect diminished withincreasing number of rinses.

If the fabrics are left in the water, a constant surface tension valueof 62 mN/m sets in after about 10 minutes under ideal conditions. Incomparison with fresh water (72 mN/m), this means a reduction of thesurface tension by 14%.

EXAMPLE 4.2

In this test, the surface tension-reducing effect on water of thedouble-sided fabric L01 described in Example 4.1 after a drying phase ofseveral months was tested.

The measurements were carried out in glass vessels. An effective surfacearea of 400 cm² of fabric was investigated in 4 liters of water. Thetemperature was 20° C.

The comparison measurements were carried out in bidistilled water andfresh tap water from the mains.

The surface tension was measured with the tensiometer shown in FIG. 22.

Test Description

A 5-liter vessel of Duran glass is filled with 4 liters of fresh tapwater, and one with bidistilled water, whereby the temperature was 20°C. in each case, and a sample of water is extracted from each vessel tomeasure the surface tension. The test fabric is then immersed, kneaded afew times and removed after being wrung out. Several samples are takenof the water remaining in the glass vessels, and the surface tension ismeasured.

The surface tension is measured as follows: The water sample is filledinto the sample dish of the tensiometer and the dish is then placed onthe lifting table and raised until the platinum ring immerses in thesample. The servomotor is then activated which lowers the water sampleon the table, whereby a water leaf at the ring is extracted. The motorstops at maximum stress as soon as the surface film starts to give andthere is no more tensile load acting on the balance from which the ringis suspended. The maximum value can be read off the digital display.

FIG. 30 compares the surface tension of water after contact with fabric“L01” investigated both before and after the drying phase, as well asafter contact with fresh tap water and bidistilled water. Duringmeasurement, it was registered that a large amount of air was introducedinto the test water, which led to fluctuating values. Because of this,several measurements were made and the arithmetic mean show in eachcase. The individual measurements are shown in Table 8.

TABLE 8 Surface tension-reducing effect of the invention-design fabric“L01” before and after the drying phase (individual values). Surfacetension (mN/m) Single measurement L01 prior to drying L01 after drying 162.0 58.2 2 62.4 58.4 3 62.5 58.3 4 62.1 58.4 5 62.5 58.7 Mean value x62.3 58.4

The surface tension-reducing effect of the double-sided fabric “L01” didnot deteriorate after the drying phase. It was still capable of reducingthe surface tension from to 71.4 mN/m to 58.4 mN/m, i.e. by 18%.

This test shows that the surface tension-reducing effect of theinvention-design fabric can be attributed to the fibre structure, andnot to substances leached from the fabric. The surface tension-reducingeffect is therefore retained even after a prolonged period of drying.

EXAMPLE 4.3

Tables 9 and 10 show results from other tests which were carried out.The fabrics were all rinsed once or twice with water before the test, inorder to remove any impurities left over from the manufacturing process.

TABLE 9 Measuring results with different vessels Surface tension Surfacetension Measurement Amount Temperature Waiting time before treatmentafter treatment No. Vessel [litres] [° C.] Comments [min] [mN/m] [mN/m]1 Glass 4 17 bidistilled water 0 71.9/71.9 — 2 Glass 4 17 tap water (TW)0 71.7/71.6 — 3 Glass 4 16 TW + fabric (rinsed once) 0 71.6 52.4 4 Glass4 15 TW + fabric (rinsed twice) 0 72.2 52.5 5 Plastic 10 14 TW + fabric(rinsed twice) 0 — 65.4 6 Glass 4 13 TW + fabric (rinsed twice) 0 — 58.87 Plastic 4 14 TW + fabric (rinsed twice) 0 72.6 62.2 8 Plastic 10 14TW + fabric (rinsed twice) 0 71.1 60.7

TABLE 10 Measuring results at different temperatures Surface tensionSurface tension Measurement Amount Temperature Waiting time beforetreatment after treatment No. Vessel [litres] [° C.] Comments [min][mN/m] [mN/m] 1 Glass 4 15 TW + fabric 0 69.7 59.9 2 Glass 4 20 TW +fabric 0 68.7 48.0 3 Glass 4 25 TW + fabric 0 66.4 46.5 4 Glass 4 30TW + fabric 0 65.5 46.5 5 Glass 4 35 TW + fabric 0 64.4 46.4

Determination of the Water-absorbing Capacity of the Invention-designFabric

The weight-related water-absorbing capacity or retention capacity of theinvention-design fabric was investigated. The water-retention capacityof the fabric was investigated on a surface inclined by 45° for 60seconds at ambient temperature and water saturation. The arrangement asshown in FIG. 31 was employed.

Test Description

The dry fabric was first weighed and then soaked in a sufficientquantity of water for 20 minutes. The dripping-wet fabric wassubsequently placed on an inclined plane (FIG. 31) for 60 seconds andthen weighed again immediately. The water-absorbing capacity is derivedfrom the difference between the weight of the waterlogged fabric and thedry weight of the fabric. This test was repeated about 8 times, wherebythe fabric was returned to the water for 2 minutes between each test toabsorb water. The arithmetic mean was determined from the individualvalues. The test was carried out at ambient temperature (approx. 22°C.).

Table 11 shows the water-retention capacity of the fabrics. The fabricswere each soaked for 20 minutes before the tests started. There was aninterval of 2 minutes between each measurement.

TABLE 11 Water-retention capacity of the fabrics Drained WaterWater-retention Dry weight weight mass capacity (x times Fabric [g] [g][g] dry weight) L01 single-sided 16.1   84.04  67.94 4.22 L02single-sided 16.69 110.04  93.35 5.59 S10 single-sided 15.53 99.72 84.19 5.42 L01 double-sided 35.87 188.08 152.21 4.24 L02 double-sided38.44 267.81 229.37 5.97 S10 double-sided 41.31 207.88 166.57 4.03

The amount of water retained by the respective fabrics was determinedfrom the difference between the drained and the dry weight. Table 11shows that each fabric is capable of retaining between 4 and 6 times itsdry weight in water.

Model to Permit Calculation of the Specific Surface Area of theInvention-design Fabric

The following values were assumed as examples for this calculation (seeFIG. 32):

Filament width 80 μm  Filament base structure height 4 μm Lamella height2 μm Lamella width 1 μm

It therefore follows that:

1.) Cross-sectional line length of a filament 2×40×6 μm+2×4 μm=488 μm

2.) Production-specific filament length: 0.5 cm

Surface area of a single filament: 488 μm×0.5 μm=244×10⁻⁴ cm²

One fibre contains 80 filaments; the average number of fibres per squaremillimeter is 9 fibres.

This equates to a specific surface area per square centimeter of72000×244×10⁻⁴ cm²=1756.8 cm² surface area per square centimeter offabric area.

A cloth made of double-sided fabric measuring 20 cm×23 cm (460 cm²)therefore has a surface area of 161.62 m².

What is claimed is:
 1. A process to manufacture a cellulose fibre havingfibre-parallel lamellae with spacing between 1 nm and 5 μm from hydratecellulose, the method comprising the following steps: a) selectingshoots no older than 1 year of deciduous trees or conifers; b) derivingwood pulp from the shoots; c) treating the wood pulp derived from shootsno older than 1 year of deciduous tees or conifers with an alkali metalhydroxide solution to obtain an alkali cellulose; d) pressing outsuperfluous alkali metal hydroxide solution from the alkali cellulose;e) shredding the alkali cellulose into alkali cellulose crumbs; f)ripening the alkali cellulose crumbs to a maturity of between 5° and 30°Hottenroth to form ripened crumbs; g) treating the ripened crumbs with awet sulphide process to form sulphadised cellulose; h) rinsing anddiluting of the sulphadised cellulose with water to obtain a spinningsolution; i) ripening of the spinning solution to a maturity of between5° and 30° Hottenroth; j) filtering and downstream deaerating thespinning solution; k) injecting the spinning solution into aregenerating bath under application of spinnerets; l) stripping thecoagulating fibres off of the spinnerets with simultaneous twisting inorder to obtain twisted fibres; m) dehydrating the twisted fibres; n)desulphurising the twisted fibres; o) washing the twisted fibres withwater; p) predehydrating the twisted fibres; and q) drying the twistedfibres, whereby the fibres have fibre-parallel lamellae with spacingbetween 1 nm and 5 μm.
 2. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterised in that the wood pulp derives from shoots no older than 1year of false acacia trees, teak trees, bongassi trees or bamboo. 3.Process in accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the lignincontent of the less-than-one-year-old shoots used does not exceed 7%. 4.Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the alkalimetal hydroxide solution used to treat the wood pulp in Step c) is asodium hydroxide solution which contains between 150 and 350 g/l ofsodium hydroxide.
 5. Process in accordance with claim 4, characterisedin that the sodium hydroxide solution contains approx. 300 g/l of sodiumhydroxide.
 6. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized in thattreatment of the wood pulp in Step c) is carried out at a temperatureranging between 15° C. and 25° C.
 7. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the shredding process of the alkali cellulose inStep e) comprises a course comminution step and a fine comminution step.8. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the alkalicellulose crumbs in Step f) are ripened at a temperature ranging between60° C. and 75° C.
 9. Process in accordance with claim 8, characterisedin that the alkali cellulose crumbs are ripened at a temperature ofbetween 65° C. and 75° C.
 10. Process in accordance with claim 9,characterised in that the alkali cellulose crumbs are ripened at atemperature of approx. 72° C.
 11. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the alkali cellulose crumbs in Step f) are ripenedto maturity of between 8° and 12° Hottenroth.
 12. Process in accordancewith claim 11, characterised in that the alkali cellulose crumbs areripened to a maturity of about 10° Hottenroth.
 13. Process in accordancewith claim 1, characterized in that the wet sulphide process in Step (g)is carried out in a solution containing between 150 and 250 g/l carbondisulphide and between 250 and 350 g/l sodium hydroxide.
 14. Process inaccordance with claim 1, characterized in that the wet sulphide processin Step (g) is carried out in solution containing between 180 and 210g/l carbon disulphide and between 280 and 320 g/l sodium hydroxide. 15.Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that subsequentripening of the cellulose in Step i) is carried out to a maturity ofbetween 8° and 12° Hottenroth.
 16. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the spinning solution downstream of the subsequentripening of the cellulose and upstream of the filtration of the spinningsolution is mixed with at least one other spinning solution producedusing a process which comprises Steps a) to i) as described in claim 1.17. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that thetemperature of the regenerating bath in Step k) is between 35° C. and45°C.
 18. Process in accordance with claim 17, characterised in that thetemperature of the regenerating bath is approximately 40° C.
 19. Processin accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the regenerating bathin Step k) contains between 70 and 160 g/l of sulphuric acid. 20.Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that theregenerating bath in Step k) contains between 0.3 and 4 g/l of zincsulphate.
 21. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized in thatthe spinnerets in Step k) are heated to keep them at a temperature ofbetween 55° C. and 75° C.
 22. Process in accordance with claim 21,characterized in that the spinnerets are kept at a temperature ofbetween 65° C. and 70° C.
 23. Process in accordance with claim 21,characterized in that the spinnerets are kept at a temperature ofapproximately 67° C.
 24. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the spinnerets in Step k) are oval tolong-slit-shaped.
 25. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterizedin that dehydrating of the fibres in Step m) is carried out with asulphuric acid solution which contains up to 15 g/l of sulphuric acid.26. Process in accordance with claim 25, characterised in that thesulphuric acid solution used to dehydrate the fibres contains up to 10g/l of sulphuric acid.
 27. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that desulphurisation of the fibres in Step n) iscarried out with a sodium sulphate solution which contains between 2 and5 g/l of sodium sulphate.
 28. Process in accordance with claim 27,characterised in that the sodium sulphate solution used to desulphurisethe fibres contains approximately 3 g/l of sodium sulphate.
 29. Processin accordance with claim 1, characterised in that the twisted fibres aretreated with titanium dioxide after being washed with water and beforebeing dehydrated.
 30. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterizedin that the prehydrating of the fibres in Step p) is carried out withcompressed air.
 31. Process in accordance with claim 1, characterized inthat the drying of the fibres in Step q) is carried out underapplication of tunnel dryers.
 32. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the lignin content of the less-than-one-year-oldshoots used does not exceed 5%.
 33. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the lignin content of the less-than-one-year-oldshoots used does not exceed 2%.
 34. Process in accordance with claim 1,characterized in that the regenerating bath in Step k) contains between90 and 140 g/l of sulphuric acid.
 35. Process in accordance with claim1, characterized in that the regenerating bath in Step k) containsapproximately 120 g/l of sulphuric acid.
 36. Process in accordance withclaim 1, characterized in that the regenerating bath in Step k) containsbetween 0.5 and 2 g/l of zinc sulphate.
 37. Process in accordance withclaim 1, characterized in that the regenerating bath in Step k) containsapproximately 1 g/l of zinc sulphate.
 38. Cellulose fibre, produced by aprocess in accordance with claim
 1. 39. Cellulose fibre in accordancewith claim 38, characterised by a microstructure which displaysfibre-parallel lamellae.
 40. Cellulose fibre in accordance with claim39, characterised in that the spacing between the fibre-parallellamellae ranges between 1 nm and 5 μm.
 41. Cellulose fibre in accordancewith claim 40, characterised in that the spacing between thefibre-parallel lamellae ranges between 200 nm and 1 μm.
 42. Fabriccomprising: a) a backing fabric; and b) a pile comprising fibers inaccordance with claim 38; wherein the pile is woven into the backingfabric.
 43. Fabric in accordance with claim 42, characterized in thatthe backing fabric has a lattice structure.
 44. Fabric in accordancewith claim 42, characterised in that the pile forms a fibre bed ofapprox. 0.5 cm in height above the backing fabric.
 45. Fabric inaccordance with claim 42, characterised in that the backing fabriccontains viscose staple fibres.
 46. Fabric in accordance with claim 45,characterised in that the backing fabric consists exclusively of viscosestaple fibres.
 47. Fabric in accordance with claim 42, characterised inthat the pile contains oval and tape fibres.
 48. A cleaning anddecontamination fabric made in accordance with claim
 42. 49. A watersurface tension reducer comprising a fabric in accordance with claim 42.50. A textile comprising a fabric in accordance with claim
 42. 51. Aclothing textile comprising a fabric in accordance with claim
 42. 52. Apersonal hygiene article comprising a fabric in accordance with claim42.
 53. A particle filter comprising a fabric in accordance with claim42.
 54. A condensation catalyst comprising a fabric in accordance withclaim
 42. 55. A floor covering comprising a fabric in accordance withclaim
 42. 56. A covering material comprising a fabric in accordance withclaim
 42. 57. Fabric comprising a backing fabric and a pile woven intothe backing fabric, wherein the pile is comprised of cellulose fibersformed by: a) treating wood pulp derived from shoots no older than 1year of deciduous trees or conifers with an alkali metal hydroxidesolution in order to obtain an alkali cellulose; b) pressing out thesuperfluous alkali metal hydroxide solution from the obtained alkalicellulose; c) shredding the alkali cellulose into crumbs; d) ripeningthe alkali cellulose crumbs to a maturity of between 5° and 30°Hottenroth; e) employing a wet sulfide process to treat the ripenedcrumbs in order to sulfadize the cellulose; f) rinsing and diluting thesulfadized cellulose with water in order to obtain a spinning solution;g) subsequenty ripening the rinsed and diluted cellulose to a maturityof between 5° and 30° Hottenroth; h) filtering and deaerating thespinning solution; i) injecting the spinning solution into aregenerating bath under application of spinnerets; j) stripping off thecoagulating fibers with simultaneous twisting in order to obtain twistedfibers; k) dehydrating the twisted fibers; l) desulfurizing the twistedfibers; m) washing the twisted fibers with water; n) predehydrating thetwisted fibers; and o) drying the twisted fibers; the fabriccharacterised in that the pile consists of 50% oval fibers and 50% tapefibers.
 58. Fabric comprising a backing fabric and a pile woven into thebacking fabric, wherein the pile is comprised of cellulose fibers formedby: a) treating wood pulp derived from shoots no older than 1 year ofdeciduous trees or conifers with an alkali metal hydroxide solution inorder to obtain an alkali cellulose; b) pressing out the superfluousalkali metal hydroxide solution from the obtained alkali cellulose; c)shredding the alkali cellulose into crumbs; d) ripening the alkalicellulose crumbs to a maturity of between 5° and 30° Hottenroth; e)employing a wet sulfide process to treat the ripened crumbs in order tosulfadize the cellulose; f) rinsing and diluting the sulfadizedcellulose with water in order to obtain a spinning solution; g)subsequently ripening the rinsed and diluted cellulose to a maturity ofbetween 5° and 30° Hottenroth; h) filtering and deaerating the spinningsolution; i) injecting the spinning solution into a regenerating bathunder application of spinnerets; j) stripping off the coagulating fiberswith simultaneous twisting in order to obtain twisted fibers; k)dehydrating the twisted fibers; l) desulfurizing the twisted fibers; m)washing the twisted fibers with water; n) predehydrating the twistedfibers; and o) drying the twisted fibers; the fabric characterized inthat the pile consists of 50% of oval fibers with a count of 330 dtexF60 and 50% of tape fibers with a count of 300 dtex F80.